Cobra Kai’s fourth season premieres this December, Netflix announced Thursday, supplying a teaser trailer to go with the news.
Shot like a promo for the All-Valley Karate Tournament — Cobra Kai’s cast accounts for five championships in the event’s 52-year history — the teaser gives us only the briefest glimpse of any new footage (looks like some rooftop parkour is on deck, for example).
Mostly, it showcases the ensemble cast (Mary Mouser, Xolo Maridueña, Peyton List, Jacob Bertrand, et al.) going through their kata, a kind of subtle reassurance that Ralph Macchio (59) and William Zabka (55) can still bring the fists of fury and five fingers of death.
We left off Cobra Kai with strip-mall sadist John Kreese (Martin Kove) back in command of his old dojo, and Johnny and Daniel-san combining their forces to take his ass down in the All-Valley in this coming season. But there are plenty more emotional loose ends to tie off in this teenage karate soap opera.
The biggest is held by Robby (Tanner Buchanan; by the way, did you know his character’s middle name is Swayze?), who has gone full heel and allied with Kreese. I might too, if one father figure got me locked up in juvy hall and the other had basically neglected me for three seasons.
And though we don’t see him, we’re already know we’re gonna get a big dose of Karate Kid Part III’s Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), who returns after more than 30 years to bankroll Army buddy Kreese’s evildoing.
Netflix re-upped Cobra Kai for another season shortly after the third one premiered Jan. 1. We’ll see if we get another cliffhanger when season 4 gets going. If you’re wondering how the three seasons have gone so far, the answers are: great, not-so-great, and good.
